Mercenaries/Session 22
20:02 <~abudhabi> Right, who do we have? 20:02 <&Remmon> Liam and myself 20:02 -!- Remmon is now known as Arthur 20:02 -!- Namaphry is now known as Ziggy 20:02 -!- Liam Liam@Nightstar-vmbpj6.range86-140.btcentralplus.com has joined #Traveller 20:02 -!- mode/#Traveller Liam Liam by ChanServ 20:03 -!- Liam is now known as Nev 20:05 <~abudhabi> Hmm. Is it just me, or are we lacking some natsus and ishmaels? 20:05 <&Arthur> Maz is here too now 20:05 <&Arthur> Ishmael/Purelock, however, seem to have managed a vanishing act 20:05 <&Ziggy> We have a really high turnover rate for non-human characters. 20:06 -!- maz is now known as natsu 20:07 <~abudhabi> Last time, you've arrived at Darrian. 20:07 <~abudhabi> Presumably, you request docking at the main world's spaceport? 20:08 <&Ziggy> Yup. 20:09 <&Arthur> Yes. and Nev can set us down there. 20:09 * Nev can indeed - its very easy 20:09 <&Ziggy> !2d6 Requesting clearance is hard 20:09 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6 Requesting clearance is hard": (6+4-4-6). Total: 0. 20:09 <&Ziggy> Wow what happened there. 20:10 <~abudhabi> (What are you rolling?) 20:10 <&Ziggy> (Comms.) 20:10 <~abudhabi> The Imperium being allies with the Darrians, you receive no problems requesting docking permissions, especially if someone speaks the language. Soon enough, you reach the highport. 20:12 <~abudhabi> What do you intend to do here? 20:12 <&Arthur> First up, find out if our psionic materials carrying vessels came from or through here. Discretely, obviously. 20:13 <&Nev> I think we need to do maintenance? 20:13 <&Arthur> Yes we do. 20:14 <&Nev> and lifesupport too I think 20:14 <~abudhabi> Life support is no problem. They even accept crimps at nominal value here. 20:14 <~abudhabi> (Maintenance too.) 20:15 * Ziggy has a lot of work to do to get Near into the most second-most prestigious university in the sector! (Darn it, Regina...) 20:16 <~abudhabi> Regarding discreet acquisition of information, how are you approaching this, Arthur? 20:17 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Near wants to down to the planet to sightsee. 20:17 <&Arthur> Find someone who has access to the relevant information, find out if they're suspectible to bribery or blackmail by investigating their background. Then use bribery, black mail, persuasion and/or deception to obtain the data I'm looking for? 20:18 <&Nev> I'll look after my baby (the ship) 20:19 * Ziggy will go with her. It wouldn't do for Near to get exiled on her first day here. 20:20 <~abudhabi> Arthur: A quick investigation reveals that such rolls are neither public, nor available on request to random Imperials. I presume you're searching at the spaceport? 20:21 <&Arthur> That is the place where they'd be most likely to have that information. 20:21 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: You and Near reach customs. A holographic intellect wants to know the purpose of your visit, biometric id, the works. 20:22 * Nev also needs to sort out the cargo we need to deliver so I don't have my legs broken 20:23 <~abudhabi> Nev: I believe it was like 1000Cr + 200Cr/parsec beyond first per ton. 20:23 <&Nev> ((I just have the price written down as 1800 per ton)) 20:24 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Int/Soc + Investigate. 20:24 <~abudhabi> Nev: Sounds about right. 20:24 <&Nev> ((which now I look at it is exactly what you said)) 20:24 * Ziggy is only missing half of the body parts that would establish her ID, hopefully that's good enough. She'll work on that. She'll say that her daughter is seeking residence and hopes to attend the U of Z! 20:24 * Nev collects the money and dropps of the freight 20:25 <&Arthur> !2d6+4: Int+Investigate 20:25 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Int+Investigate": (1+3)+4. Total: 8. 20:27 <~abudhabi> Arthur: After battling some holographic bureaucrats, you get to a real-life bureaucrat. He's supposed to be in charge of shipping registration and the like, apparently. 20:28 * Arthur does not approve of holographic bureaucrats. It's much harder to threaten them with physical violence when they fail to cooperate... 20:28 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: The hologram indicates that you have debts outstanding, after successfully verifying your identity. Do you have receipts of your payment? 20:31 * Ziggy scrounges through her files. 20:31 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Roll Int/Edu + Admin/Advocate. 20:31 * Arthur sets to work attempting to persuade, con, deceive and/or bribe said bureaucrat to look at the records and get the information he's after. Or let him look at the records. Or even just forget to lock his computer while he goes to get something to eat. 20:32 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Deception at -4. 20:32 <&Ziggy> !2d6+2 20:32 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6+2": (6+1)+2. Total: 9. 20:32 <&Arthur> !2d6+5-4: That's hard. 20:32 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "That's hard.": (6+5)+5-4. Total: 12. 20:32 <&Arthur> (But Arthur will make it look easy) 20:34 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: You convince the AI that your debt is paid, and it's just X-boats that haven't gotten here yet! Yours and Near's application for planetary entry are approved. Near is eligible for citizenship via jus sanguinis, and may apply to the uni. 20:34 <&Ziggy> "I suppose the banks don't clear through District 268 very quickly..." 20:36 <&Ziggy> "No news is good news, for you. We can continue." 20:36 <~abudhabi> Arthur is a player skilled enough to make the whole situation look not like bribery, but a reasonable request by a concerned citizen. You quickly scan the records and find that those ships came from Ilium. 20:37 <~abudhabi> (Lose 500Cr.) 20:38 <&Arthur> (How long were they here for? Just enough to refuel?) 20:38 <~abudhabi> Arthur: They have maintenance done here, actually. 20:38 <&Arthur> Did they load any cargo? 20:39 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Doesn't say. 20:39 <&Arthur> Does it say who did their maintenance? 20:39 <~abudhabi> Near: "Wow, the atmosphere is really pleasant here." 20:40 <~abudhabi> Arthur: No, but you could probably find that out elsewhere. 20:40 <&Arthur> Very well. 20:40 * Arthur wishes the bureaucrat a good day, thanks him for his help and goes off to see who performed maintenance on those ships. 20:42 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Anywhere you want to take Near, or just wandering through the city, buying sugary sweets? 20:42 <&Ziggy> "The Ancients terraformed the world, just for us. We've kept it in good shape." 20:42 <~abudhabi> Near: "Wasn't there, like, a star explosion since then?" 20:42 <&Ziggy> If she's here for sight-seeing, we're probably visiting the cities in the sky, not the one under the polar ice cap, where the university is! 20:43 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You find the maintenance crews. Chatting them up, you determine that they don't recall offhand routine events from more a year ago. Want to roll Deception at -4 again? 20:43 <&Ziggy> "...alright, in relatively good shape. The Maghiz seared most of the planet's surface, but the atmosphere was still attached." 20:44 <&Arthur> !2d6+5-4: It's worth trying. 20:44 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "It's worth trying.": (5+4)+5-4. Total: 10. 20:45 <&Ziggy> "Anyway, the Darrians who are alive now were the ones who were willing to leave the five orchards and trek through the mountains to find new places to live, so we're used to high altitudes. That's at least part of why almost everyone here lives in grav cities." 20:46 <&Ziggy> "I suppose they're also just plain cool, though I get a little nervous, even with all the redundant systems they have now." 20:46 <~abudhabi> Arthur spends another 500 Cr subtly undermining the culture of honesty and non-corruption that the Darrians have been building for millennia. You get a bunch of names of workers who did the maintenance, and a checklist of what was done. Apparently, the ships were skipping on maintenance, because the list of "replaced" and "fixed" things is substantial. 20:47 -!- Crossfire Z@Nightstar-q9j.qdg.72.87.IP has joined #Traveller 20:47 -!- mode/#Traveller Crossfire Crossfire by ChanServ 20:49 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Roll Soc +2. 20:49 <&Ziggy> !2d6+2 20:49 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6+2": (1+1)+2. Total: 4. 20:49 <&Ziggy> Awww. 20:52 <~abudhabi> Your manner and dress draw attention of the local constabulary. "You there! City guard. Let's see some ID," a pair accosts you. 20:53 * Arthur goes to find some of the workers who did the work, to see if they might have some memory of what was up with those ships. 20:55 * Ziggy tries her... birth certificate? She's kind of short on forms of identification that aren't fake or cancelled. 20:56 <~abudhabi> Near presents a Mirage ID card. 20:57 <~abudhabi> The cops don't find your combined documents to be satisfactory. "I'm afraid you will have to come to the precinct with us, pending resolution of your identities." 20:58 <&Ziggy> "Of course..." She mutters, "If nothing else, at least I can tell you my geneaology going back five generations." 20:59 <~abudhabi> Near, being accustomed to police procedures by osmosis, does not object either. 21:00 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Roll Investigation. 21:00 <&Arthur> !2d6+4: Int+Investigate. Discovering all the things! 21:00 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Int+Investigate. Discovering all the things!": (2+4)+4. Total: 10. 21:01 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You find some maintenance workers. 21:01 <~abudhabi> !Roll 2d6,3 21:01 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6,3": (1+2), (2+2), (6+5). Total: 3 4 11. 21:02 <~abudhabi> Arthur: One of them recalls the ships in general. Apparently, he fished out a giant dead rodent from the life support system. 21:02 -!- Nuramor Nuramor@Nightstar-osif4v.dip0.t-ipconnect.de has joined #Traveller 21:02 <&Arthur> That sure qualifies as unusual. Does he remember if it was loaded with cargo or empty? 21:03 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: You're taken to the police station. Do you have any illegal cybernetics on you? 21:03 <~abudhabi> Arthur: They were half-full. Sealed containers. 21:04 * Arthur takes mental notes, thanks everyone for their cooperation and returns to the ship. 21:04 <&Ziggy> Nothing weaponized. Just a grappling arm with a drug dispenser containing perfectly legal drugs and some simple sensors equipment in the hand. And an artificial heart, and a wafer jack. 21:05 <&Ziggy> The rest is biotech, really! 21:05 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6 21:05 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6": (5+3). Total: 8. 21:07 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: It's a fairly busy day, and you're not the first suspect in line. In total, you spend eight hours in custody while they confirm that you are who you are, that your debts are provisionally paid, that you don't have any illegal 'wares on you, and that your daughter is really your daughter. They do issue you proper ID cards, however! 21:08 <&Arthur> "Nev, I got good news. I know where we're going next." 21:08 <&Nev> "oh goody?" 21:08 <&Nev> "or is that premature celebration" 21:08 <&Ziggy> That's handy! It was probably particularly inconvenient getting over the part where their DNA doesn't match unless one gets the right set of Ziggy's DNA, since not all of her own DNA matches, either. 21:10 <~abudhabi> Near: "Wow, I didn't expect this place to be a police state. Was it always like that?" 21:11 <&Arthur> "Ilium looks like a pretty decent place. Tech's not too great, but the law's pretty light too." 21:11 <&Ziggy> "It's not, really... I think. The Scout Service rates Daryen as 'moderate law', anyway. But it's not the Imperium, either, and we stand out here." 21:13 <&Ziggy> "For all they know, we're foreign agents. Or replicants." 21:14 <~abudhabi> Near: "I suppose so... Anyway, I want to see the university before it gets any darker." 21:15 <&Ziggy> "It's under the north pole... but we'll head over there now, if you like. It's been a long time since I've been aboard any watercraft." 21:15 <&Nev> "Illum.... ok - we think thats where they might have come from or just another stop on the road?" 21:16 <&Arthur> "Honestly don't know. That said, when they came here, apparently the maintenance had to fix a lot of stuff, like they'd missed quite a bit of maintenance." 21:16 <~abudhabi> Near: "Is it always light or always dark there now?" 21:17 <&Ziggy> "It's always dark because it's so deep. That's how it survived the Maghiz. They have artificial lighting, of course." 21:17 <~abudhabi> Near: "I guess daylight makes no difference then!" 21:17 <&Nev> "hmmm... seems a bit odd, Illum's not that far. Where they hell could they have got that kind of tech though if its not here - I though this was the big lead?" 21:17 <&Arthur> "Of course, that said they couldn't have gone very far from there unless they were taking a detour. They had cargo aboard when they got here anyways." 21:19 <&Ziggy> "That's right! The summer is nice for boating. Your grandfather was really into windsurfing, at your age." 21:19 <~abudhabi> Near: "Let's go, then." 21:20 * Ziggy charts a G-flight and a submarine voyage from Pororda to the university. 21:22 <~abudhabi> Right. Is the spaceport subgroup doing anything much while Ziggy and her daughter go to the North Pole? 21:22 <&Arthur> Maintenance, repairs and I'm guessing Nev will want to get some cargo for Ilium. 21:22 <&Arthur> "Well, there's probably ancient tech all over Darrian space." 21:24 <&Nev> ((ehhh, do we really need to do that - the fund is over 20mil and we don't really have a plan for what to do with that money as of yet - I'm all for scrooge McDucking it with the cash but we can pretty much fill the bridge now)) 21:26 <&Ziggy> One use for money is getting a hardened bridge. A hardened holographic bridge if you want to be really cool. Then we can hide from radiation in there. 21:27 <~abudhabi> Ziggy and Near eventually reach the North Pole after multiple modes of travel, the next day. You could even get some sleep. 21:28 -!- Crossfire Z@Nightstar-q9j.qdg.72.87.IP has quit timeout: 121 seconds 21:28 * Ziggy will do that. Stimulant abuse is bad. 21:30 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Welcome to the Underground University! (Where the Department of Psionics may or may not exist.) The academic year starts in two months. 21:33 * Ziggy is interested in exploring this place, herself! She's read about it, but never been here. Also, she needs to find out where Near's going to live, and get her set up with supports like advisors and counselors and financial aid (unless she can get a lot of money out of the ship's fund and put it into a trust fund or something.) 21:34 <&Ziggy> Near probably needs to get tested, too, so that they know she's not just some hick. 21:34 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Place is huge and impressive and old. 21:36 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Tuition is 2000 Cr/month, above whatever Soc you wish to support Near with. 21:36 <~abudhabi> If she gets in, that is! 21:36 <&Nev> !r 2d6+8-2 : Finding a broker- fast 21:37 <&Nev> roll 2d6+8-2 : Finding a broker- fast 21:37 <&Ziggy> Ziggy will also try to send a message to her father to see if he'll give Near permission to use his name. (She'll get to pick her own name in a couple months, and it'd be nice to have a full set of three.) 21:37 <&Nev> !roll 2d6+8-2 : Finding a broker- fast 21:37 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Finding a broker- fast": (6+5)+8-2. Total: 17. 21:37 <~abudhabi> Nev: Broker found! 21:38 <~abudhabi> !2d6 21:38 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6": (3+2). Total: 5. 21:38 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Do you even know where he is? 21:39 <&Nev> !d6 different goods available 21:39 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "d6 different goods available": (2-2). Total: 0. 21:39 <&Nev> !d6: different goods available 21:39 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "different goods available": (3). Total: 3. 21:39 <&Ziggy> Presumably still on her homeworld, since it's been a very established pattern? That's two jump-4s away, but ships probably don't go there very often. 21:40 <~abudhabi> Right-o. 21:40 <&Nev> !d6,2,3 : Goods 21:40 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Goods": (5), (1), (5). Total: 5 1 5. 21:40 <&Nev> !d6,3 : Goods 21:40 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Goods": (1), (4), (2). Total: 1 4 2. 21:41 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Message sent. 21:41 <&Nev> !3d6+1+2 : Cybernetics purchase price 21:41 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Cybernetics purchase price": (1+1+6)+1+2. Total: 11. 21:41 <&Ziggy> The message will include all the other stuff about Ziggy not being dead or in prison or in debt anymore (and even that she's doing mercenary work, if not the details.) 21:41 <&Nev> !d6: tons cybernetics available 21:41 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "tons cybernetics available": (1). Total: 1. 21:42 <~abudhabi> Lessee. Scholar/Physician. Edu 4+. Welp, guess Near doesn't have to even roll for that! 21:42 <&Ziggy> That's the survival roll. The qualification roll is slightly harder! 21:42 <~abudhabi> Aha! 21:42 <&Nev> !3d6+1+2-1 : Robots purchase price 21:42 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Robots purchase price": (4+6+3)+1+2-1. Total: 15. 21:43 <&Nev> !d6*5 : Tons of robots available 21:43 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Tons of robots available": (6)*5. Total: 30. 21:43 * Nev buys 10 tons of robots at 75% base price 21:43 <&Ziggy> Int 6+, apparently. 21:44 <~abudhabi> Right-o! Near needs to take an examination due to having an education record from Bumfuck, Third Imperium, and verifying that would take upwards of a year. 21:44 <&Ziggy> Yup. 21:45 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: You want to roll or should I? 21:45 <&Ziggy> I can do it! 21:45 <&Ziggy> !2d6+1 21:45 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6+1": (4+5)+1. Total: 10. 21:46 <&Ziggy> That's not 5-! 21:46 <~abudhabi> Near qualifies with a good margin. 21:46 <~abudhabi> Near: "Sweet!" 21:46 <&Ziggy> "Told you!" 21:48 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: What kind of lodgings are you getting her? 21:48 <~abudhabi> The "earn your own keep" type? :V 21:49 <&Nev> ((how much would student lodgings be for a year?)) 21:49 <&Ziggy> I guess Imperial Soc doesn't necessarily apply here? Near's still starting near the bottom, though. 21:49 -!- PainBot painbot@Nightstar-mkqh8h.adsl.tpnet.pl has quit timeout: 121 seconds 21:50 -!- PainBot painbot@Nightstar-bgkopl.adsl.tpnet.pl has joined #Traveller 21:50 -!- mode/#Traveller PainBot by ChanServ 21:51 * Ziggy will find her a helpful family to rent a room from! So she doesn't have to share an apartment with a half-dozen roommates or live on her own surrounded by snobs or hipsters. 21:52 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: Imperial citizen, illegitimate child of Darrian citizen, possible citizenship. That'll be like Soc 5. 21:53 <&Ziggy> 1000 Cr a month, then. So, that's a total of 36,000 Cr per year? 21:53 <~abudhabi> Yes. 21:54 <~abudhabi> You can, 'course, overfund it if you want to spoil her. 21:54 <&Ziggy> Nope! Though Ziggy might buy her a few thousand credits worth of gifts... 21:55 <&Ziggy> She can't keep all the guns and armour, after all. 21:56 <~abudhabi> Near: "Butbut the vacc suit! I like it!" 21:57 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: You have noted, indeed, that for the last month or so, she has been diligently training its use. 21:58 <&Ziggy> (Darrian doesn't necessarily restrict its citizens to TL10 equipment!) 21:59 <~abudhabi> (They almost certainly restrict *some* tech, but not all.) 21:59 <~abudhabi> (Particularly star-blowing-up tech and related stuff. Also weaponry. The vacc suit may pass inspection, if it is deemed non-weaponlike.) 22:01 <&Ziggy> "Hmm... I'm not sure you'll be needing to go to space for a few years yet, but as long as you don't wear it out in public, I don't see why a tailored environment suit would be a problem." 22:01 <~abudhabi> Near: "Great!" 22:02 <&Ziggy> "We'll get you a license for your shotgun, too. It was meant to be your 18th birthday present, after all." 22:02 <~abudhabi> Alright. You want to set up a fund for her, yes? How much are you leaving, 36*4 KCr? 22:03 <&Nev> ((is there anyone on planet Ziggy knows and trusts?)) 22:03 <&Ziggy> Nope! 22:04 * Ziggy will make it a round 160K, in case of emergencies. 22:06 <~abudhabi> Right-o. 22:06 <~abudhabi> !roll 1d6 22:06 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "1d6": (5). Total: 5. 22:06 <~abudhabi> !roll 1d6 22:06 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "1d6": (5). Total: 5. 22:07 <~abudhabi> Six days after you've arrived, the maintenance is complete. Near has a place to stay, money to spend, and a school to learn at. Are you lot leaving? 22:08 <&Arthur> Absolutely! 22:09 * Nev will take 160k out of the tradefund for Ziggy then? 22:09 * natsu continues to skulk around the ship, occasionally training or testing his power armour. 22:09 * Nev will also ask arthur if the ship is going to chip in to the kids education 22:09 * Ziggy keeps Near's magrail rifle. Near can do whatever she wants with her old TL12 vacc suit. The PDL gets sold off and she trades in the paramilitary armour for a personal drone to give Near. 22:10 <~abudhabi> natsu: What's your current Social Standing? 22:10 * Arthur doesn't intend to. 22:10 <~abudhabi> Near hugs her mother good-bye. 22:11 <&Ziggy> Near also gets to keep the hand computer and her Digital Display/Recorder Unit. 22:11 <~abudhabi> natsu: Your Soc is now 4. 22:11 <&Nev> "we could just give her some of the bug's money?" 22:13 <&Ziggy> "I'm not even sure why I'm leaving. Just not to be awkward, I guess. I'm sure you'll do fine. You're not as accident-prone as I am." 22:13 <&Arthur> "Hmm. Well, how much does this education cost anyways?" 22:13 <&Ziggy> "I still need to find out exactly what went on in the arena on Rulzul." 22:16 <~abudhabi> (Does Ziggy tell Arthur how much?) 22:16 <&Arthur> (Ziggy's not here is she?) 22:16 <&Ziggy> That the tuition is 2000 Cr/month? That seems harmless enough. 22:17 <&Nev> "no idea, I'll ask Ziggy" 22:18 <&Nev> @Hey ziggy, whats the cost of all this stuff now Near's got into the university?@ 22:19 * Ziggy takes a moment to parse that, then says, @Tuition is 2000 Cr/month, another thousand a month for living expenses. I'd like to set aside a bit more for insurance.@ 22:20 <&Nev> @so what, 36k? what about her rent and such?@ 22:21 <&Ziggy> @That's included with her living expenses. 36K per year, four years is the minimum. She'll probably be in school at least 8, but we'll see.@ 22:21 <&Ziggy> @160K for the fund was my figure.@ 22:22 <&Nev> @Ok, got it@ 22:22 <&Nev> "call it 300k for all 8 years of med" 22:25 <&Arthur> "Hmm. I suppose we can pay part of that." 22:27 <&Nev> "We did take the kid into a firefight - and doing this will probably bind Ziggy to the crew a lot more than just paying her - after all, now we've dropped the kid off here she's a lot more likely to want to stay on planet and find work here" 22:27 * Ziggy could well laugh hysterically at the idea of her finding work here. 22:27 <&Nev> "so what, 150k in a bank account set to release money to the kid whilst Ziggy's still working for us - sell it to Ziggy as something like 'Crew Benefits'" 22:28 <&Arthur> "Sounds good to me. Set it up." 22:29 <~abudhabi> Nev: This'll take about a day. 22:29 <&Nev> @Hey Ziggy, Arthur and I have been talking - we figure we should help with Near's education - she and you are both part of the crew and we do like to look after one another - we're going to set up an account with 150k which will release funds to her each month whilst she's still in university - subject to minimum grade scores and you still being employed@ 22:30 * Nev not a problem 22:30 * Nev will spend a day at the Bank of Darien setting up the account 22:31 <&Ziggy> @That sounds difficult to verify, but fair enough. I don't have a clear written contract, as it is.@ 22:32 <&Nev> ((assuming Ziggy is OK with this)) 22:32 <&Nev> @Yeh... we'll try sorting that out some time@ ((he lied)) 22:32 * Ziggy will see if she can get the crew to establish the actual terms of her employment while there. 22:33 * Arthur deflects any contract questions off to Nev 22:33 * Nev is currently at the bank talking with the manager and a lawyer and someone from the university sorting out the trust account 22:33 <&Ziggy> (Like, what her share of the profits from trading are in particular, since so far it's just been 'whatever you want, if we feel like it.') 22:35 <~abudhabi> Are you lot going to negotiate that, or evade the issue? :V 22:38 <&Arthur> Well, contract business is all Nev's to avoid. But I can answer the trade profit question. 22:38 <&Arthur> Shares in the trade profit are equal shares per investment into the fund. The more you put in, the more you get out. 22:38 <&Nev> ((the trade funds and share will be posted on the common room whiteboard from now on)) 22:39 <&Arthur> ((You mean Natsu's drawing board?) 22:39 * Nev apparently has to buy a new whiteboard for listing the trade accounts 22:42 * Ziggy determines that she'll need to take side jobs in order to avoid poverty in this line of work. 22:44 <&Nev> ((you have about 335k before the purchase and withdrawing 160k - once we sell the robots I'm pretty sure you'll be hitting 250k again)) 22:44 <&Ziggy> (Oh. The spreadsheet says 9883.) 22:45 <&Nev> ((thats because we've bougth 3mils worth of goods that need selling - so the sheets working out the run's profit at -3 mil) 22:45 <&Arthur> (That's because we did trade purchases, THEN withdrew your 160k) 22:45 <~abudhabi> Alright. You lot moving out? Near comm in to say goodbye to the crew. 22:46 <&Ziggy> Alright, let's try not to lose our whole cargo to Sword Worlders! 22:46 <&Arthur> Yes. Let's go. 22:47 * Nev will take us up and away 22:48 <~abudhabi> Astrogation: CHECK. 22:48 <~abudhabi> Cleared 100-limit: CHECK. 22:48 <&Ziggy> Where are we going? 22:48 <~abudhabi> Ilium. 22:48 <&Nev> "Ilium" 22:49 <&Nev> "Hit the button Ish" 22:49 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6+3-2: Ishmael the very absent pushes button 22:49 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "Ishmael the very absent pushes button": (6+3)+3-2. Total: 10. 22:50 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6+2 22:50 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6+2": (6+1)+2. Total: 9. 22:52 <~abudhabi> One week later, welcome to Ilium! This is a close binary system, sporting an otherwise rather unremarkable inhabited world. It's pretty light on regulation, as long as you don't threaten the ruling family's continued rulership. 22:53 * Nev will take us in to land again 22:54 * Ziggy totally draws a blank on this place. It's even less prominent in her mind than Stern-Stern. 22:54 * Arthur leaves Nev to handle the trading, takes Natsu with him to go investigate their psionics carrying ships. Ziggy's welcome too. 22:55 <&Nev> !2d6+3+4-2 : Find a trader faster than usual 22:55 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Find a trader faster than usual": (6+2)+3+4-2. Total: 13. 22:55 <~abudhabi> You dock at the good starport. Refined fuel available. 22:55 * Ziggy helps with the investigation. Detective! 22:55 <~abudhabi> Arthur, Ziggy: Roll it! 22:55 <&Ziggy> !2d6+5: Investigation! 22:55 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "Investigation!": (2+4)+5. Total: 11. 22:55 <&Arthur> !2d6+4: Int+Investivate! 22:55 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Int+Investivate!": (1+6)+4. Total: 11. 22:57 <~abudhabi> Ziggy, Arthur: You don't even have to bribe anyone. The ships were here, under their putatively real names. Just refueled, then shipped away. 22:57 <~abudhabi> Nev: Yes, you find. 22:57 <&Arthur> Any idea where they came from? 22:59 <&Nev> !3d6+3 : Sale price of robots 22:59 <+PainBot> Nev rolled "Sale price of robots": (3+3+1)+3. Total: 10. 22:59 * Nev will pass on selling the robots 23:00 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Yes! Laberv. 23:01 <&Arthur> "So, what do you think, Laberv or skip straight to the only place they could have come from there, Stern-Stern?" 23:02 <&Ziggy> "Laberv is the worst..." 23:02 <&Ziggy> "I suppose it depends on what you're looking for." 23:03 <&Nev> "lets just hit stern" 23:03 <&Ziggy> "Do we know for certain they came from the Sword Worlds?" 23:04 <&Arthur> "It seems less and less likely with the path we've been following." 23:05 <&Ziggy> "Laberv is the smuggling capital of the Confederation. It's very circuitous to get to the Sword Worlds through the back route, and there's only one way." 23:05 <&Arthur> "Laberv it is then." 23:06 <&Ziggy> "We can skip to Zamine if we're wrong." 23:06 * Arthur nods 23:07 <&Nev> "Got it, getting on the way again - I'll sell the robots elsewhere" 23:07 <&Arthur> "Couldn't find a good price for them?" 23:09 <~abudhabi> Right. Jumping? 23:09 <&Arthur> Aye 23:09 -!- Nuramor Nuramor@Nightstar-osif4v.dip0.t-ipconnect.de has quit [NS Quit: ] 23:10 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6+3-4: Let's jump! 23:10 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "Let's jump!": (4+1)+3-4. Total: 4. 23:10 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6-4 23:10 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6-4": (6+1)-4. Total: 3. 23:10 <&Ziggy> It's only a jump 2! 23:10 <~abudhabi> (I know.) 23:10 <~abudhabi> (The penalty is for a reason that is not known to you.) 23:10 <&Ziggy> Ohhh. Oh yay. 23:11 <~abudhabi> Ishmael: @Um, captain? I think there's something wrong with the fuel tanks. Or the jump drive.@ 23:11 <~abudhabi> (He says this in-jump.) 23:12 * Arthur heads down to engineering to investigate 23:12 <&Arthur> "Elaborate?" 23:13 * Ziggy is busy coping with empty nest syndrome. 23:14 <~abudhabi> Ishmael shows Arthur the readings. "It showed up last jump too, but it was within tolerances. When I check the fuel purity in the tanks, it's fine. But what goes into the J-drive, according to the intake analyzer, is rather badly contaminated." 23:14 <~abudhabi> "I'm reasonably certain we've not misjumped, but we should look at this when we're not in jumpspace." 23:15 <&Arthur> "We're going to have to take the whole fuel delivery system apart to check this aren't we?" 23:15 <&Nev> @Arthur, what the heck's up?@ 23:16 <&Arthur> @We're going to have to put into a shipyard at Laberv to check our jump drive. Something's off.@ 23:16 <~abudhabi> "Might not be that severe. It'll be easier since we'll have half a tank when we get there, so we can route everything to other parts of the tank, and have a look-see inside." 23:16 <&Arthur> "We can do that as soon as we drop out of jump space can't we?" 23:17 <&Ziggy> @Ugh. The shipyard in Laberv is run by a crime syndicate.@ 23:17 <~abudhabi> "I *can* do it myself, I think. Just need to not be in jump." 23:17 <&Arthur> @I find that they usually respect people in battle dress.@ 23:17 <&Nev> @Ok... why didn't the Darien maintenance crews spot this?@ 23:18 <&Arthur> "Have a look as soon as we're out. We'll decide what to do after." 23:18 <&Ziggy> @Part of the problem is that they don't use automation and the 'unions' have all the power. Work is slow, and that's assuming they do the job you ask them to do.@ 23:20 <&Arthur> @That's just a matter of the right encouragement.@ 23:20 <~abudhabi> Right. Anything else to discuss in-jump? 23:20 <&Arthur> Not for me. 23:21 <&Nev> nope - just grumbling about how the Dariens were sloppy 23:22 <~abudhabi> Jump exit in Laberv! Except not where you expect to be. Roll Edu + Sensors. 23:23 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: SensorsEdu 23:23 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "SensorsEdu": (2+2)+3. Total: 7. 23:24 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You're not certain where you are. A gas giant is blocking the view. 23:24 <&Arthur> "Found a gas giant." 23:25 <&Ziggy> "...Alright. I'll make sure we're at least in the right system." 23:25 * Ziggy compares the gas giant to the ones that should be here. 23:25 <~abudhabi> Edu + Astrogation. 23:25 <&Ziggy> !2d6 23:25 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "2d6": (1+3). Total: 4. 23:26 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: I'll astrogate, you sensors. 23:26 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "I'll astrogate, you sensors.": (2+6)+3. Total: 11. 23:26 <~abudhabi> Ziggy: That can't be right. These numbers don't add up, inconsclusively. 23:26 * Ziggy mumbles, "Near could figure this out." 23:26 <&Ziggy> !2d6: Sensors? 23:26 <+PainBot> Ziggy rolled "Sensors?": (4+6). Total: 10. 23:28 <~abudhabi> After Nev changes ship position a bit, you determine that you've been pulled out of jumpspace by the gravitic interference of the Laberv system's outermost gas giant. It's a four-day ride to the main world from here. 23:28 <~abudhabi> Ishmael: @I'll start disassembling things now.@ 23:28 * Nev plots the course... and sits back to chill for 4 days 23:28 <&Arthur> @Copy. Everyone suit up just in case there's trouble.@ 23:28 * Arthur heads down to assist Ishmael 23:29 * natsu suits up in Battle Dress 23:30 <~abudhabi> !roll 2d6+3 23:30 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "2d6+3": (6+1)+3. Total: 10. 23:30 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Want to roll Edu + Engineer(J-Drive)/Mechanic? 23:30 <&Arthur> !2d6+2: EdMechanic 23:30 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "EdMechanic": (6+4)+2. Total: 12. 23:30 <&Ziggy> @I suppose it's possible..." Ziggy doesn't really want to wear her boarding vacc suit for two shifts every day. She'll stick with her security armour. 23:31 * Nev will put on his suit then 23:31 <&Ziggy> (Oh, that kind of trouble. Not the kind where someone desperate decides it might be fun to prey on some lost merchants.) 23:32 * Ziggy wears her suit for the 'repairs' then. 23:32 <&Arthur> (No, for that kind of emergency, we've got thrust 4) 23:33 <~abudhabi> Arthur and Ishmael dissasemble the troublesome fuel intake and find it badly corroded on the inside. It would (and did) pass casual inspection and even a mild testing, particularly two weeks earlier, but would definitely show up when using high-energy operations like jumps. 23:33 <~abudhabi> You have any spare parts? 23:33 <&Nev> yes, 4.8 tons 23:34 <~abudhabi> Deduct 0.4 tons for this repair. 23:34 <&Nev> ((it is done)) 23:35 <~abudhabi> It is fixed. 23:36 * Arthur is pleased we didn't have to put in to a shipyard after all 23:37 <~abudhabi> Right. We'll get to Laberv next session! 23:37 <~abudhabi> Thanks for the game, guys. 23:37 -!- Ziggy is now known as Namaphry 23:37 -!- Arthur is now known as Remmon 23:38 <~abudhabi> (If you're wondering - I actually did roll this "fuel hit" when you were a bit late with maintenance some time ago. :V) 23:38 <&Namaphry> Ziggy will have to find out if there's any blood sports enthusiasts on Laberv who've got the recordings she wants!